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Sunday, January 31, 2010
To start with, it is a great looking piece of design. Using the product will come natural to over 22 million iPhone users. Honestly, it looks like a very, very big iPhone. The user interface, from just viewing the Apple video and reading countless reviews, looks to be extremely fast and responsive.
This web browser video plug-in extremely pervasive reaching almost 99% of Internet-enabled desktops and laptops. This definitely limits the "ultimate browsing experience."
What can you say? Apple does have a knack for design coupled with functionality. The form factor is awesome weighing in at just 1.5 pounds and just a half-inch thick. It has sex appeal.
Eventually, but not until multi-tasking is added. Apple says they left it out to limit occasional crashes that lock up the device. I own a PC, I can deal with a few reboots every now and then.
The price is pretty reasonable starting at $499 for the 16Gb Wi-Fi only model and going to $829 for the 64Gb Wi-Fi + 3G unit.
I also think the iPad will put a serious hurting on the Kindle and other readers. While not the biggest book reader, I do ingest a serious number of magazines every month. Color-driven magazines don't work well on the monochrome liquid ink readers.
Monday, January 25, 2010
Vol. 2 No. 5
Hey folks, thought you might enjoy the following links.
D-Town TV's New Season is Underway
D-Town TV is a fresh approach to teaching camera tips and photographic techniques to today's digital photographers with Scott Kelby and Matt Kloskowski as its hosts. No matter what the skill level or interest, each episode covers a wide variety of topics. This is one of my favorite video podcasts!
I recommend starting with Season 2's first episode:
http://kelbytv.com/dtowntv/2010/01/14/episode-25-the-2nd-season/
http://kelbytv.com/dtowntv/
Nature Photography Planning List
Photofocus - by Scott Bourne
Things to consider before heading out on that nature shoot. Location, weather, method of transport, gear and goals. I definitely agree strongly with Scott's point on setting goals.
http://photofocus.com/2010/01/12/nature-photography-planning-list/
Under the "Photographers are Not Terrorist" category...
Chicago Transit Authority urges commuters to report photographers
Photography Is Not A Crime - by Carlos Miller
New signs appearing throughout CTA train stations are telling commuters to report "excessive photographing/filming." What is the definition of excessive? Will we [photographers] need to begin registering like sex-offenders? This is getting out of hand.
http://carlosmiller.com/2010/01/18/chicago-transit-authority-urges-commuters-to-report-photography/
Photoshelter® releases free report on Social Media for Photographers
sponsored by Adorama
This comprehensive guide covers the ground rules every photographer should know about using social media, choosing where to participate, smart strategies to foster conversation, tips to increase social sharing and generate quality links, measurement, and tools that can help achieve maximum results. http://www.photoshelter.com/mkt/research/social-media-for-photographers
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Saturday, January 16, 2010
Vol. 2 No. 4
I found a great tool for my frequent road trips; to both plot my course and provide me the weather forecast along the route. The tool, Road Trip Planner, can be found on the Weather Underground www.wunderground.com). For many years now, this site is always my first stop for weather-related information. You can find the Road Trip Planner by clicking on the Travel & Activities tab along the upper right top section of their home page. Or, you can just use the link I provided.
You start by entering in your waypoints and the date and time. Then simply click on the "Get Directions and Weather" button.
The Road Trip Planner returns the directions and the weather along the route.
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
Vol. 2 No. 3
Last post I mentioned you shouldn't let your creative works sit idle and unseen on your hard drive. So, here is a review of a product you can use to create a canvas wrapped print. The Hahnemühle Gallerie Photo Wrap is a complete kit that includes a pre-sized bar kit, holding pins and two 8.5" x 11' sheets of Hahnemühle canvas.
The system is pretty straightforward. You prepare your image. Which I did by resizing my "Drooping Tulip" image from the previous post on Wireless Flash. I used guides in Photoshop to make sure my layout would fit properly.
After loading a sheet of the supplied canvas, I sent it off to my printer. This is where I ran into a problem. Even after setting my printer to handle thick paper, I keep experiencing miss-feeds. It wasn't until I attached a piece of plain print paper to the back of the canvas, that I finally got my Epson printer to feed properly.
Once I allowed the print to dry for a few minutes, I laid out the print with the bar kit, and holding pins. The stretcher bars are lined with adhesive strips.
After turning the print face down and aligning the bar kit, I removed the release strips covering the adhesive. Then I trimmed the corners with a utility knife (not supplied), and folded the edges up with the stretcher bars of the bar kit. The holding pins kept the wrap secure.
And within a matter of about 20 minutes, I had a 6" x 8" finished Gallerie Wrap suitable for hanging on the wall or placement in a stand.
All in all, a pretty easy way to obtain a gallery canvas wrap without having to outsource the work online or to a local frame shop. I think Hahnemühle could improve the product by adding some sort of carrier sheet to facilitate better printer loading since the back of the canvas sheet is too slippery. Otherwise, assembly was simple. Priced reasonably enough for the kit, it definitely is a great way to show off a favorite image.
FTC Disclosure: The product reviewed in this post was not supplied to me by the manufacturer. It was purchased with my own funds, for my own use. No promise of remuneration was made for any endorsement offered in this review.
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Saturday, January 9, 2010
Vol. 2 No. 2
In the first post of the New Year I spoke about the B&H Event Space. Below is a series of images shoot during the recent Nikon Wireless Flash Hands-on Workshop with Shooting Stations. The class was led by Paul Van Allen, Nikon's National Training Specialist. Paul gave a short overview on how Nikon's Creative Lighting System (CLS), and menu selections. Then the fun started.
Drooping tulip side lit by single flash.
Soft folds of plain white printer paper lit from below with a blue/red gelled flash.
Gumball-filled wine carafe tipped over onto blue shelf liner,
lit from behind under a tent of white foam board.
Low power flash diffused by white printer paper sits inside cheese grater
while a second blue-gelled flash sit behind it illuminating the background.
Sunday, January 3, 2010
Vol. 2 No. 1
[Editor's Note: I thank everyone for their support over the past year. Your kind emails and comments, and your participation in the various Lens Capture Photo Walks have made it a very rewarding experience. Now begins our second chapter. Thanks again.]
So, you are now the proud owner of a new camera. Now what?
You probably didn't even wait for the battery to fully charge before snapping off a few pictures. Soon after, reality set in. Your expectations began to fade. The fantastic imagery you imagined didn't materialize on the LCD screen. First attempts yielded poorly exposed, possibly out-of-focus drab photos. And maybe even the thought "this camera takes lousy pictures" crossed your mind. I counsel you to not rush back to the retailer to trade it up to a more expensive model that takes better images. The problem is not the camera but "you!" [Boy, that's wasn't too reassuring - was it?]
It's okay, step back from the ledge, all is not lost. The camera is designed to record great images. You, on the other hand, need to be trained. The camera is incapable of taking great photos without your interaction. You just need to learn the tricks - I mean, techniques towards better photography. And you can learn, don't doubt yourself. While it's not rocket science, it will take some commitment on your part. But, the payoff will be well worth it.
The three (3) "P's" have been my mantra along this winding road of photography - practice, patience, perseverance.
• Practice - learn your camera, its features and settings, and what they actually do.
• Patience: your photos will go from blah, everyday, seen it before, no big deal boring images - to hey there, check this out, that imagine pops! It will happen. But, you must be willing to endure. Gotta start somewhere.
• Perseverance - take lots, and lots and lots of photos. And then, keep taking more and more and more. Do yourself and the rest of us (that includes family and friends) a favor by only sharing the very best of what you capture. Do you honestly believe the world's leading photographers snap a "keeper" every time? No way - it doesn't happen. Every "at bat" doesn't yield a homerun. But the more opportunities, the better your chances are at hitting one.
A few other words of wisdom that I hope will make your journey easier to navigate. Carry your camera whenever possible. Your cannot get a great shot if the camera is back home, and you're not. As world-famous commercial photographer, Chase Jarvis points out in his best-selling book, The Best Camera Is The One That's With You: iPhone Photography (Voices That Matter)," you do not need an expensive camera to be creative. But you do need a camera to share your vision with others. High-end digital SLR, point-and-shoot, or a camera-phone will do, only if it is with you to capture the moment.
Look at photographs made by others. What works, what doesn't. Every day, I check out some of the new uploads on flickr®. What was their subject? Do I like the photograph? How did they bring focus to it? How did they simply the shot so as not to distract me from their subject? Or, why don't I like the shot? This is an important step in training yourself to recognize good composition.
Participate in a photo walk. Keep checking back here at Lens Capture for information on upcoming photo walks. I plan on holding at least one every couple of months. It's great to get together with others that enjoy photography. Sharing idea and your individual point-of-view, help to inspire others. I always get creatively stimulated through the interaction that occurs during these photo walks.
Attend a workshop. Don't stop learning. Workshops are a great place to broaden your knowledge and learn the techniques to making better photographs. If you're in the New York Metropolitan Area, check out B & H Superstore's Event Space for a listing of upcoming free workshops.
Photography should be an educational requirement in high schools and colleges because it makes you see and appreciate the world differently. When you start composing a photograph, you become more aware of your surroundings and the elements that begin to define your subject.
Don't believe me, start using that new camera.
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